UK Air Force ROTC Cadets to Run 29 Miles for POWs, MIAs

LEXINGTON, KY (Nov. 10, 2016) —  Air Force ROTC cadets of the 290th Cadet Wing at the University of Kentucky will run from Lexington to Frankfort — 29 miles — this Saturday, Nov. 12, for the annual POW/MIA Run to honor the sacrifices of the nation's prisoners of war and those still missing in action.

The group of runners also includes Air Force ROTC faculty and cadets of the University of Louisville and Team Red White and Blue. Runners will depart from Barker Hall on the UK campus at 6 a.m. and finish at the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Frankfort.  The route will take runners on Old Frankfort Pike, where community volunteer organizations, such as JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts of America and more, will provide water stations along the way.

"The POW/MIA Run is not just a run to remember, it's a run so that we never forget the torture, the pain, the uncertainty, and the solitary confinement that they endured in lands far away from home," said event organizer Bradley Shimfessel, C/1st LT, AFROTC, Arnold Air Society commander and special projects officer. "The POW/MIA Run allows us to bear the physical weight of hardship and the opportunity to bond with brothers and sisters in arms and anyone who truly honors that sacrifice while we reflect."

Following the run, the 290th Cadet Wing’s Honor Guard will perform a brief wreath laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site at noon, followed by a presentation by the Quilts of Valor.